One Branch: California Courts Protective Order Registry

"The California Courts Protective Order Registry is one of the most dramatic advances in the handling of domestic violence in many years," says Judge Colleen Toy White of the Superior Court of Ventura County. "For a judge who presides over domestic violence cases, it is critical to have the ability to get immediate online access to court protective orders. This registry will enhance victim safety and help ensure that judges don’t make duplicate or conflicting court orders."

Launched in June 2010, the California Courts Protective Order Registry (CCPOR) is a statewide repository of protective orders containing both data and scanned images of orders that can be accessed by judges, court staff, and law enforcement officers. Currently used by superior courts in 21 counties, CCPOR allows judges to view orders issued by other court divisions and across county lines. Armed with more complete data, judges can make more informed decisions and avoid issuing multiple protective orders with conflicting terms and conditions. Law enforcement officers also benefit from the ability to view complete images of orders, including notes, special conditions, and warnings that are often handwritten by judges on the orders.

CCPOR contains all types of restraining and protective orders, including:

Domestic violence restraining orders;

Criminal protective orders;

Civil harassment restraining orders;

Elder or dependent adult restraining orders;

Juvenile orders;

School violence prevention orders;

Workplace violence restraining orders; and

Emergency protective orders.

Judges, court staff, and law enforcement officers are the primary users of CCPOR, but the primary beneficiaries of the system are members of the public, particularly victims of domestic violence, elder abuse, workplace violence, and violent crimes. Court staff and their law enforcement partners also benefit from operational efficiencies that result from workflow support in the system and electronic access to scans of protective orders.

In partnership with the Tribal Projects Unit, CCPOR started a pilot program in August 2011 to provide tribal courts with read-only access to the registry. This pilot has allowed tribal judges and tribal law enforcement to view the terms of protective orders issued by state courts and to access tribal orders registered with the state courts.

CPOR has received accolades and awards from independent organizations. In May 2011, the Center for Digital Government awarded CCPOR a 2011 Best of California Award in the Best Application Serving an Agency’s Business Needs category. In September 2011, CCPOR won that organization’s national 2011 Digital Government Achievement Award in the Government-to-Government category. The National Association of State Chief Information Officers also named CCPOR one of the three finalists for its 2011 Recognition Awards for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Information Technology in State Government in the Data Information and Knowledge Management category.